Search Engine Optimisation (part one)

Using search engine optimisation

NEIL SANDERSON DENTAL MARKETING EXPERT

You are probably aware that Google now gives the top three search results to it’s paid advertising e.g. pay per click or Google Adwords. This is without doubt the most effective and quickest way to get your website to the top of Google’s rankings.

However there is also a case to be made for being near the top of the rankings organically or free listings. Some people just prefer to click on the free area rather than clicking on an advert. So whilst I would always advocate using Google Adwords as your first choice, I’d like to talk a little about search engine optimisation.

Search engine optimisation is effectively trying to make your website rank towards the top of Google’s listings. You must remember that fourth place is probably the best you will ever get because of the pay per click.

But if you can get yourself to position four of five it’s certainly better than being on page two. So  what do you need to do?

Search Engine Optimisation must do’s

1. Video You must have video on your website, this is now crucial. Not only does video move you up the rankings but it also is a brilliant tool for keeping people on your page and remember to make your video autoplay. Ideally the video should be on either YouTube or Vimeo with a link to you website rather than being embedded in your site.
2. Blog Write a regular blog, between 300-500 words. A blog is also extremely effective in influencing Google, make sure you put lots of links back to your website into the blog and also have outbound links. you also need to optimise any images you put into your blog. You also need to think of the keywords you are trying to influence Google with.
3. Google local business. This is an area often overlooked by most practices but is highly effective at getting you up the local rankings. Put as much content into this area including video, images, your opening times, any special offers, in fact as much as possible. Then get as many reviews from your patients as possible.
4. Metatags These are the short descriptions you see when you search for something and are presented with the listings, ensure that these are relevant and have your key words in them.
5. Links. If you have any links in you page ensure that they still work, Google will check for broken links, if you have lots they will mark your site down.
6. Navigation Analysis ensure that your site has good navigation and all links within the site work.
7. URL names ensure that your URL (the name of the page) is relevant and has your key words in it.
8. Content Change you need to make sure that your content changes regularly, Google doesn’t like static sites, it wants to see things changing regularly, just as you update your Social Media ensure that you regularly update your website too.

I’ll go through some of the other SEO tactics in later posts, but if you start to adopt these you should see your rankings improve, although this isn’t guaranteed and you are at the mercy of Google. As I said earlier, the only tried and tested way to get your site to the top of the listings is to advertise with Google.
 

If you would like help with your digital marketing, call me on 01767 626 398 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit my website www.dentalmarketingexpert.co.uk Facebook page

Mobilegeddon

From the 21st April Mobilegeddon happens, you need to act now
 

For some time now I’ve been banging on about how your website should be mobile ready because 60% of all search is now carried out on mobile devices and you should have your website ready for these visitors.

Well things are just about the heat up even more. Google have announced major changes to their algorithms, (the industry is calling this Mobilegeddon that will do two things.

1. They are going to tag all websites in the search listing that are mobile ready.
2. They will lower your ranking if your site isn’t mobile ready.

The marketing press have been full of this, Read This Article. So just what does this mean to you as a dental practice? Well basically everything. As I have mentioned on many occasions 60% of all search is not done on mobile devices. This means that if your site isn’t mobile ready, people searching for you will probably never see your site listed.

But and it’s a big but, if your site is actually found by someone who is searching for you, your listing will not have the Google mobile stamp of approval so they may well decide not to bother with your site.

This Google update is not some small thing that they will roll out as they have been doing over the last two years with most people not noticing, this is a major deal for Google, (Mobilegeddon), this is why they have been flagging this up for some time.

So what do you need to do to ensure that your website is mobile friendly and you won’t fall foul of Mobilegeddon?

1. Ensure the mobile version of your site is active and functional. Responsive designs are the most popular, these are the one’s that we supply, but you can also have a separate hosted mobile version of your site. Google doesn’t have a preference, as long as mobile users’ experience isn’t interrupted.
2. Ensure Google’s mobile bots can crawl your site. If Google can’t see it, it may as well not even be there.
3. Check each individual page of your site on a mobile device to ensure navigability. Just because your home page is mobile friendly doesn’t mean the rest of your site is.

In addition Google are offering you a new tool to test your website, click here to check your website and ensure that it is mobile ready, this tool is completely free and safe, it will give you all the information you need to ensure your site is mobile ready.

Incidentally Google are also checking to see if you have a mobile app too, and again if you pass this test they will rank you higher than if you don’t so you might want to think about getting yourself a mobile for the practice (we sell these too) click here to see how our Mobile App can build your practice, it’s been designed specifically for dental practices.

We are now very busy converting many websites to make them mobile ready, if you would like us to give you a quote on making your website mobile ready, call us today on 01767 626 398 or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website www.dentalmarketingexpert.co.uk or check out our Facebook page.

Things are changing in the website world, mobile websites are becoming increasingly important with Google placing an emphasis on websites having a mobile version. Users of mobile phones now expect a mobile version or an app for the business that makes their lives easier.

Over the last few years, there has been a huge growth in mobile apps, with large businesses having their own mobile app but things are now changing and evolving with smaller businesses now getting in on the act. It is now possible to have one for your dental practice. This seems a strange concept to some but there are a number of benefits that could really help your dental practice.

As we all know, everyone seems to be using their mobiles for the majority of tasks, with the average person in Britain, using their mobile for over 2 hours a day. Your patients will be no different.

The GDPUK Services team can now offer you the ability to have your own app custom built for your dental practice. Once it is built (usually takes approx 4 weeks) it will be made available on the Apple and Google Play Stores for download by your patients.

Below are five reasons an app could benefit your practice.

1. Loyalty Scheme

With the loyalty scheme built into the app, all you have to do with an app is scan a code in the practice and the patient's loyalty card is automatically marked, they can then redeem a voucher when they reach a certain number. All this is done automatically. This will be a reason your patient will keep the app on their phone, they will feel like they are getting extra value / service from visiting their dentist.

2. Presence

Having your own app is a great way of doing something different and innovative in your local area and will impress your patients. Having an app gives your patients a constant reminder of your presence in the community and that your practice can be seen as innovators.

3. Engage with patients

Patients can message your practice directly from the app, they can request an appointment for specific items of treatment. They can also gain direct access from the app to your Facebook and Twitter accounts as well as your blog or any other social media etc.

4. Push Messaging

You can push messages directly to everyone who has it. Push messaging is free and has close to a 95% read rate which when you compare to an average open rate of just 20% for an email that practices send to patients.

5. Referrals

With a mobile app your patients can refer you directly to their friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, email or text. As we are all aware there is nothing more powerful than a personal referral for any business, for dentists personal recommendations / referrals often work brilliantly because they provide confidence to the potential new patient and also prove to your team and yourself that you are doing the right things. A number of referrals a month from the app will make the small investment in the app totally worth it.

For further information on the app and the costs involved please have a look at our new services website and specific page on the app. Links below. If you have any further questions please email us - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.gdpuk.com/services

www.gdpuk.com/app

As a digital company, we are always interested in digital innovations and improved efficiency, especially in the dental sector. One area of dentistry that this is particularly apparent, is in the booking of dental appointments online. Although this is a relatively new sector, there are a number of companies who are improving access, customer service and ease for patients.

Toothpick who are one of the leaders of this revolution, shared some amazing numbers from 2014, which they have given us permission to share. The infograph below gives a great indication of the growth of the sector, can dental practices afford to miss out on offering this service?

A few stats that caught our attention:-

• The fastest time from booking to seeing a dentist was 23 minutes
• 56 per cent of bookings were made in evenings and weekends
• Peak booking time for appointments is Monday and Tuesday mornings, when a booking is received every 30 seconds!
• Over 60 per cent of visitors to Toothpicks website are accessing via a mobile device

We believe this sector will continue to grow over the next few years. Dentists are always looking for new ways to gain patients and offering 24hr online booking seems a great way of doing this. The general public are increasingly familiar with doing many things online, so why should booking a dental appointment be any different? The service seems to benefit all involved. The continued growth of smartphone usage, plus the introduction of dental practice apps or mobile webpages will also fuel the growth of this sector in 2015.

It will be interesting to see how this sector evolves over the next few years but our suspicion is that it will soon be an expected feature on the majority of dental practice websites, mobile sites or apps. 

Please enjoy looking at the infograph and you can find some further information on Toothpick below.